41st Division

The history of the Division

This division was formed at Aldershot in September 1915. The majority of the units that comprised the division were originally locally raised ones, primarily from the south of England. The division was inspected by king George V and Field Marshal Lord French on 26 April 1916.

The units of 41st Division moved to France between 1 and 6 May 1916 and by 8 May had concentrated between Hazebrouck and Bailleul. The division then remained on the Western Front until October 1917 and took part in the following engagements:

1916
The Battle of Flers-Courcelette*
The Battle of the Transloy Ridges** the battles marked * arephases of the Battles of the Somme 1916

1917
The Battle of Messines
The Battle of Pilkem Ridge^
The Battle of the Menin Road^^ the battles marked ^ arephases of the Third Battles of Ypres 1917
Operations on the Flanders coast

On 7 November the Division was notified that it was to be transferred to Italy. The move (by train) began five days later and by 18 November all units had concentrated north west of Mantua. The Division took over a sector of front line behind the River Piave, north west of Treviso, between 30 November and early on 2 December.

1918

On 28 February 1918 the Division concentrated in Campo San Piero, preparatory to returning to France. By 9 March it had completed concentration near Doullens and Mondicourt.

The Battle of St Quentin**
The Battle of Bapaume**
The Battle of Arras**** the battles marked ** are phases of the First Battles of the Somme 1918
The Battles of the Lys
The Advance in Flanders
The Battle of Ypres++
The Battle of Courtrai++
The action of Ooteghem++++ the battles marked ++ are phases of the Final Advance in Flanders

The forward units of the Division were at Nederbrakel, Tenbosch and on the line of the River Dender near Grammont when the Armistice brought fighting to an end. Selected to join the Army of Occupation, the Division began to move on 18 December, going via Enghien – Hal – Braine ‘Alleud – Sombreffe – Temploux – north of Namur and Huy. On 6 January the move was completed by train and on 12 January the Division took over the left section of the Cologne bridgehead.Demobilisation began; on 15 March the Division was retitled as the London Division.

The Great War cost 41st Division 32158 men killed, wounded or missing.

The order of battle of the 41st Division

122nd Brigade

12th Bn, the East Surrey Regiment

(Bermondsey)

15th Bn, the Hampshire Regiment

(2nd Portsmouth)

11th Bn, the Royal West Kent Regiment

(Lewisham) disbanded March 1918

18th Bn, the King’s Royal Rifle Corps

(Arts and Crafts)

122nd Machine Gun Company

joined May 1916, moved to 41st Bn MGC March 1918

122nd Trench Mortar Battery

joined June 1916

123rd Brigade

11th Bn, the Queen’s

10th Bn, the Royal West Kent Regiment

(Kent County)

23rd Bn, the Middlesex Regiment

(2nd Football)

20th Bn, the Durham Light Infantry

(Wearside) left for 124th Bde March 1918

123rd Machine Gun Company

joined June 1916, moved to 41st Bn MGC March 1918

123rd Trench Mortar Battery

joined June 1916

124th Brigade

10th Bn, the Queen’s

26th Bn, the Royal Fusiliers

32nd Bn, the Royal Fusiliers

disbanded March 1918

21st Bn, the King’s Royal Rifle Corps

(Yeomen Rifles) disbanded March 1918

124th Machine Gun Company

joined June 1916, moved to 41st Bn MGC March 1918

124th Trench Mortar Battery

joined June 1916

20th Bn, the Durham Light Infantry

(Wearside) joined from 123rd Bde March 1918

Divisional Troops

13th Bn, the East Surrey Regiment

(Wandsworth) left October 1915

23rd Bn, the Middlesex Regiment

(2nd Public Works) joined as Divisional Pioneer Bn October 1915

238th Machine Gun Company

joined July 1917, left October 1917

199th Machine Gun Company

joined October 1917, moved to 41st Bn MGC March 1918

41st Battalion MGC

formed March 1918

Divisional Mounted Troops

B Sqn, the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry

left 31 May 1916

41st Divisional Cyclist Company, Army Cyclist Corps

left 28 May 1916

Divisional Artillery

CLXXXIII (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA

broken up November 1916

CLXXXVII Brigade, RFA

CLXXXIX Brigade, RFA

left January 1917

CXC Brigade, RFA

41st Divisional Ammunition Column RFA

(West Ham)

V.41 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery, RFA

formed July 1916; disbanded October 1917

X.41, Y.41 and Z.41 Medium Mortar Batteries, RFA

formed May 1916; in April 1918, Z broken up and batteries reorganised to have 6 x 6-inch weapons each

XIII Belgian Field Artillery Regiment

attached January to May 1917

Royal Engineers

228th (Barnsley) Field Company

233rd (Ripon) Field Company

237th (Reading) Company

41st Divisional Signals Company

Royal Army Medical Corps

138th Field Ambulance

139th Field Ambulance

140th Field Ambulance

84th Sanitary Section

left April 1917

Other Divisional Troops

41st Divisional Train ASC

296, 297, 298 and 299 Companies

52nd Mobile Veterinary Section AVC

41st Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop

left May 1916

Divisional histories

There is no published history to the 41st Division.

Divisional memorials

The splendid memorial to the 41st Division in the village of Flers, Somme. The village was captured by units of the Division on 15 September 1916.

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